Some components of computing equipment, such as processors, require cooling to dissipate the heat generated during operation. Typically, cooling air (or possibly other gases) is forced through the equipment via one or more fan assemblies, thereby helping to cool the internal components of the equipment. In typical computer systems, the forced airflow may flow over and/or bypass certain components, for example, due to the configuration of the computer components and the size of the enclosure housing the components. Thus, in response to such a scenario, the airflow through the equipment is often controlled and directed to certain regions, and in some cases through the fins of a heat sink, via an internal air baffle mechanism.
When component configurations within a computer system vary, the airflow through the equipment is not readily manageable to compensate for the configuration variation because the air baffle configuration is fixed. For example, for equipment enclosures that support different sets of components at varying locations, e.g., two different motherboards and corresponding sockets that can be installed in the same chassis, the airflow will typically bypass some components in some configurations because of the fixed-configuration air baffle. In other words, the direction of the airflow through the equipment is not configurable based on the configuration of the components within the equipment.
One approach to directing airflow through computing equipment based on the configuration of components installed within the equipment is to install “dummy” components within the equipment enclosure in the place of real components, to simulate a consistent component configuration. Such an approach is intended to force the airflow to behave as if the equipment is fully populated. However, different “dummy” parts are needed for each different component being simulated and, therefore, raising issues regarding inventory in the field, maintainability, etc. Furthermore, the “dummy” parts are installed in the same manner as the actual component being simulated (e.g., in a DIMM slot on a motherboard) and, therefore, can damage parts on the mating board (e.g., a socket) and consequently prevent use for future upgrades, affect reliability, etc. Based on the foregoing, there is room for improvements in the control and management of airflow through computing equipment.
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.